Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:

To ask His Majesty's Government what consultations they have carried out with UK Jewish communities which are not part of the United Synagogue concerning the planned Holocaust Memorial and Learning Centre in Victoria Tower Gardens.

The Learning Centre, co-located with the Holocaust Memorial, will ensure that the lessons of the Holocaust are told with honesty and clarity; it will also address subsequent genocides. Information about the Learning Centre themes was presented at the planning inquiry and is available on the Westminster City Council website: cd_8.9_proof_of_evidence_of_stephen_greenberg_1.pdf (westminster.gov.uk)

The scope and content of the Learning Centre exhibition will be developed by the UK Holocaust Memorial Foundation, drawing on a wide range of external advice and expertise.

The current forecast cost (£138.8 million, excluding contingency) for completion of the proposed Holocaust Memorial is set out in the Written Ministerial Statement of 28 June 2023 (UIN HLWS875). An independent charity, The Holocaust Memorial Charitable Trust, Chaired by Sir Gerald Ronson CBE, will lead the effort to secure pledges towards the fundraising campaign.

Extensive consultation on the proposals has been carried out over many years, with contributions from a wide range of individuals and communities across the country.